Editor’s Note: Nineteen year old Christopher Perkins of Athens, Ontario, Canada, is a PSE pro staffer. Just a few weeks ago, Christopher won the 2011 FITA World Archery Championship in Compound Men’s Individual after he and his dad traveled to Turin (Torino), Italy. He shot against 836 archers from 84 different countries. Christopher was one of only two shooters in the competition who was 19 years old or younger. He trusted his fate to his PSE Dominator Pro Hybrid bow.

How PSE’s Christopher Perkins Qualified to Shoot in the 2011 FITA World Archery Championship

Christopher, why did you take the PSE Dominator Pro Hybrid bow with you to this world competition, which is the biggest tournament in which you’ve ever competed?
This was a brand new bow that I’d only been shooting for about 3 months. The most important reason I took it to the world competition was that I really felt comfortable shooting this bow. Also, I wanted to prove that PSE built bows that could compete in the highest form of target archery.

Christopher, most archers would have probably have taken their bows with them to a worldwide competition that they’d been shooting 6 months to a year or longer.
I felt like I’d been shooting this bow much longer than I had.

What is it about the bow that you like?
The cam system, and the way the bow felt to me. The cams on this bow open nicely, and I fell in love with the riser, a bridge type riser that was very stable. This kind of riser is also called a shoot through riser, so that there’s no real riser flex after the shot. I feel that this bridge riser is more stable than a deflex riser.

How did you qualify to go to this world shoot?
We had a national championship in Caledon near Toronto, Canada. To qualify, we had 3 days of trials. The first day was a 1440 round. We shot 144 arrows at 50 meters, and I qualified first in the trials. I shot 1415 arrows the first day out of 1440, so I was first in the first round. After the second day of competition, I moved to second place. After the third day, I qualified first in the trials. That competition win qualified me to shoot for Canada in the World Archery Championship. My dad was really excited, since he and I use to shoot 3D archery together. But other than an occasional 3D archery tournament, he doesn’t shoot any other type of target archery.

PSE’s Christopher Perkins’ Goals and the Equipment He Shot to Win the 2011 FITA World Archery Championship in Compound Men’s Individual

Christopher, who is your coach?
Kathy Milner is my coach. Someone recommended her to me when I first got started shooting target archery. Today, Kathy reassures and supports me when I get ready to go to tournaments. Kathy had told me that I needed to get more experience in competing at bigger shoots. And, so when I won the opportunity to compete in the world shoot, Kathy explained that regardless of how I finished, I needed to go to the world shoot to get experience in the highest level of competition in the world. I didn’t really think I would do as well as I did in this competition, but I thought that this world shoot would prepare me for the next world shoot, if I were fortunate enough to qualify for it. My goal for this shoot was to try and finish in the top 20 of these world class shooters. I’d be happy with that finish. I was going primarily to learn what a world shoot looked like. Since I had no experience in a tournament this big or this prestigious, I didn’t know what to expect. My dad was really thrilled that I was going to be able to go, and we were both really excited about it, not only seeing a world shoot but actually being able to participate in it. I’d only been shooting competitively for 4 or 5 years. I had learned that once my coach helped me get my form right, then she could continue to make sure that I shot the form I’d learned. If I picked up a bad habit, she would help me correct it. Too, she helped me to start working on my mental game, which is a critical ingredient in successful tournament archery shooting.

How did you prepare mentally for this world shoot?
I think the way you prepare mentally is to try and go to as many competitions as you can and shoot against as many world class shooters as you can before you arrive at the world championship. Then, when you’re at the world shoot, you’ve already shot against some of the best archers there are, and you have the confidence that you can perform on that level.

When you arrived at Torino, what did you do?
The first day we settled into the hotel and tried to get accustomed to the time change. Then we went out to the venue to see what the range looked like to get a better idea of what this tournament would be like. Once we arrived, I saw that this tournament would be very different from anything I’d done previously. This shooting venue was held at a castle. The archers had a view different from any others I’d had, because when we stepped to the line to compete, behind the targets stood the castle. We would be shooting toward the castle. Every time I stepped to the line, I could see the castle. The first day we didn’t shoot, we just sort of picked out the landscape.

What did you think when you saw over 800 archers out there practicing?
I didn’t know what to think. This tournament was the biggest world competition that ever had been held with archers participating from all over the world. Luckily some archers were there that I’d competed against in other tourneys, so we were able to talk a little bit. But most of the archers I couldn’t talk to, because they spoke a different language. The next day we had an official practice, and I knew that during the official practice I was shooting really well. Since I knew that the first day of competition, we’d have to shoot 72 arrows, the first day of practice I shot 72 arrows.

What arrows and what release are you using?
I shoot the Carbon Express Nano Pro arrow, and my release is a TRU Ball BT Gold Release. I like this release, because it’s fairly heavy and feels right in my hand. Also it shoots really well. Although I take two releases with me, I shot with the same release all the way through the competition. I like this release too, because I can concentrate on the target, since I never know when my bow will fire.

PSE’s Christopher Perkins Explains about Qualification Day at the 2011 FITA World Archery Championship in Compound Men’s Individual

What was qualification day like at the FITA World Archery Championship?
We had to shoot 72 arrows at 50 meters. After qualifying, I was in fifth place, shooting a 706 out of 720. First place was Reo Wilde (USA), second was Jessie Broadwater (USA), third was Martin Amspo (Denmark) and fourth was Braden Gellenthien (USA). I felt I’d shot a really-good qualification score, and I was pleased at finishing fifth. Then we had a day off, so I went and shot at the practice range to keep up my level of shooting and competing. I shot about 100 arrows on the off day. The next day we started the elimination round. Because I had placed in the top eight archers, I had two bys. Then I competed in the 116th elimination round, where I beat a lad from Great Britain. Next, I competed against a fellow from Korea, and I defeated him. Those wins took me to the quarterfinals where I competed against Braden Gellenthien from the USA. We both shot 149, and then we went to a single shoot off arrow. He shot a high right pin, and my arrow was 1/8 inch from the dead center of the X. I’d shot 45 arrows before that last arrow shoot-off. In the elimination round, we both shot 14 arrows inside the 10 ring. And even in the shoot off, we both shot the X ring, but I was closest to the center of the X. So after my competition in the quarterfinals, I was in the top four archers in the competition. After the quarterfinals, we had another day off, and then we shot the semifinals. In the semifinals, I had to face Reo Wilde from the USA. I had shot against him in previous tournaments. We were to shoot 15-arrows each. I defeated Wilde by shooting a 148 out of a possible 150, and Wilde shot a 147. If I had lost in the semifinals, I still would have had an opportunity to shoot for the bronze medal. However, by winning the semifinals, I had an opportunity for the gold medal.

PSE’s Christopher Perkins Tells about the Final Competition for the World Archery Championship in the Compound Men’s Individual

How did the finals for the 2011 Compound Men’s Individual World Archery Championship go?
The finals were between Jessie Broadwater of the USA and me. This was his first World Archery Championship, as well as mine. I’ve competed against Jessie before, and he’s beat me. We shot alternating targets; he would shoot, and then I would shoot. Our first end, we both scored a perfect 30, shooting 3-arrows apiece. The second end, he shot a 29, and I shot a 30. At the third end, he shot a 29, and I shot a 30. At the fourth end, Broadwater shot a 30, and I shot a 28. Going into the very last end, we were tied. Each end consisted of shooting three arrows, and the round was comprised of shooting five ends or 15 arrows. Going into the fifth end, Broadwater had 118, and I had 118. On his first arrow, he scored a 10. On my first arrow, I scored a 10. Broadwater shot his second arrow and scored a 10, and I did too. So, this whole competition was to be decided by the last arrow we shot. Broadwater shot first, and he shot a 9. On my last arrow, I scored a dead-center X, and that’s the arrow that won the competition for me. I won a trophy bow and a watch valued at $1000. The money I earned came from my sponsors.

What’s Next for PSE’s Christopher Perkins after Winning the World Archery Championship

What does winning the World Archery Championship mean to you?
The whole event, and winning the title, is overwhelming.

What did your friends and your dad think about you winning the World Archery Championship?
They were all excited and really proud for me. I’m only 19 years old, and now I’m a world champion archer. So, where do I go from here?

What do you plan to do now that you’ve won the World Archery Championship?
Keep shooting.

What type of tournaments will you enter now?
At the end of the month, I’m competing in Stage 3 of the World Cup, and I’ll just basically try and shoot World Cup events and some international shoots. Hopefully 2 years from now, I’ll have an opportunity to return to the World Archery Championship, if I qualify, because it’s only held every 2 years.

Chris, do you hunt as well as shoot?
Yes, I do. But my hunting is basically for white tailed deer.

Do you shoot 3D archery?
I once did, but I don’t anymore. I do shoot some 3D competitions just for fun.

Where do you think winning the World Archery Championship will take you?
As far as possible in the world of archery. I want to keep competing and see how far I can go. I want to compete as a professional archer as long as I can. I don’t know what I’ll do after I quit competing in archery; I can’t see that far down the road. I’m really living my dream and am excited about staying in the sport and competing as long as possible. I went to the competition for the World Archery Championship with hopes of qualifying in the top 20, and when I won the event, I was really excited. Right now, I’m just trying to process what I’ve done and see what happens next.

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